A typical gaming device, such as a slot machine, has one or more rotary reels, each rotary reel having around its periphery a tape displaying one or more symbols. A player operates the gaming device, causing these rotary reels to be rotated and stopped. A win is determined based on whether the symbols are aligned on predetermined prize-winning lines when these rotary reels are stopped. The number of coins to be paid to the player is varied in accordance with the kind of aligned symbols.
For example, ten coins would be paid if the aligned symbols are "BAR" symbols, and one hundred coins would be paid for the alignment of "7" symbols. After pulling a lever or pressing a start button for a slot machine, or after pressing a stop button on a slot-and-pinball machine, a player will focus his attention on the symbols arriving at the display window, desiring that alignment of symbols corresponding to a larger number of winning coins will appear. The different winnings for alignments of the different symbols enhance the amusement and excitement provided by the game.
In view of the attention given by players to the aligned symbols during play, there have been proposed slot machines in which an illuminator is placed behind the rotary reels in the vicinity of the display window, with a purpose to illuminate only the symbols in the vicinity of the display window or to otherwise adorn the symbols (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,452, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 4-208176, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 4-220276, Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. 3-58476, Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. 4-50090, Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. 4-50089, Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. 3-58475, and Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. 61151785). By illuminating or embossing the symbols appearing in the display window they are made more conspicuous.
In these machines, the symbols appearing in the display window are made more conspicuous than those in the conventional machine. However, all kinds of symbols appearing in the display window are made conspicuous to the same degree, so that there is no effect of intensifying or exciting the player's expectations for specific symbols for which high winning is made.
As described above, the player hopes for the appearance of symbols for which a high winning is paid (e.g., "7"), and in particular the player is likely to concentrate on these specific symbols immediately before the reels are stopped. The player's interest and suspense would be magnified, and the amusement of the game improved, by making these specific symbols more conspicuous.